Tues, Aug 2

Aug 02 - Auyuittuq National Park - We spend the day visiting this spectacular National Park and hiking to the Arctic Circle! This evening, we will visit the ruins of an old Whaling Station called Kekerten.
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Auyuittug National Park
Kekerten Territorial Park
Arctic Circle
The southern limit of the arctic region is commonly placed at the Arctic Circle (latitude 66 degrees, 32 minutes North). The Arctic Circle is an imaginary line that marks the latitude above which the sun does not set on the day of the summer solstice (usually 21 June) and does not rise on the the day of the winter solstice (usually 21 December). North of this latitude, periods of continuous daylight or night last up to six months at the North Pole. (Arctic Meteorology)
Kekerten Island Whaling Station, found within the Kekerten Historic Park, was a heavily-used whaling station during the 1850s and 1860s. Located in Cumberland Sound, 50 kilometres from Pangnirtung, the island was used for this purpose soon after it was charted by Scottish whaler, William Penny, in 1840. The whaling industry made great use of Inuit knowledge of whales, the local area, and methods of survival in the Arctic. A number of artefacts remain as part of the whaling station including the foundation of three storehouses built in 1857 by Scottish whalers, and large cast-iron pots used for rendering whale oil. (Atlas of Canada)

Posted Tuesday 9:15 PM ET (New Journals now posted at August 1)

Hi there!
What a day! We spent the entire day in Auyuittuq National Park.truly one of the most spectacular places on Earth. It was a day of serious hiking and exploring. For some of the group, it was a hike all the way to the Arctic Circle!! There are lots of tired legs, red faces and big smiles all around the ship tonight. We are now sailing back down the dramatic Pangnirtung Fjord and then this evening out into Cumberland Sound. Our destination tomorrow morning in Cape Mercy where we hope to find ice and Polar Bears. Only three more days to go. Can't believe it is almost over.

Geoff

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Tuesday August 2nd, 2005 ....

Today we went to Baffin Island. We took that hike that I was kind of dreading in Auyuittuq National Park. It was incredibly hard at first; we had to walk along the side of the mountain where there was no path: only boulders, mosses, lichens, and a ton of random holes to fall into. The ironic thing was that the really hard hike group left an hour earlier than us and when we got there, the tide had gone down so much that that hard part of the hike I talked about was just to get to the entrance of the park, and the hard hike group didn't even have to do it! The Zodiacs were able to take them pretty much right to the entrance of the park. Anyway, besides that hard part, the whole day was so much fun! We played in the water all morning! Let me explain: They told us how we had to prepare to cross raging waters that would come up to our waists, and they were really just wide streams that had some deep spots, but also were full of boulders. Some were hard to cross, but with the help of Erik and Ingrid *our adult companions* we were able to jump across. My favorite part was on the way back, when we found these parts of the ground that felt almost like we were walking on a bubble. We kind of jumped around on these spots until they collapsed and we were in knee deep water. It was black, because it was so high in sulfuric content. The whole park was like that. What you'd see at the surface was just ordinary brown, wet, thick, pressed down mud, but about an inch down, it was pitch black. If you took a step in a spot that was really sticky, the brown dirt would clump on your shoe and you would lift it up with your step. You'd see the sulfuric earth, and soon enough, people behind you would start to smell the chemical. Sulfur isn't exactly the most pleasant smell in the world. But, we had a blast. On the way back from playing in the water, I got to be in the front of the fast group because they took my advice to walk along the shore back to the Zodiacs, versus walking along the steep hillside again. It was sticky, wet, and the streams were a little more dangerous, but it was still a blast. I walked with Geoff, the leader of the pack, and we sang random songs with some other athletic leader type people. They sang Gilligan's Island, and when they got the part where it says "The skipper and Mary Ann" I got really excited and sang with them. Then we sang "In My Life" which I sang at my graduation and I led that one in the parts they didn't know all of the words. Finally, we got to sing California Girls which also brought out my enthusiasm since I'm from Cali myself. We didn't go to any towns or see any shops or houses, but we did see a landslide while walking up the hillside. It was behind us, thank goodness, but it was an amazing sight to see. I have video footage of the slide, and of our geologist friend Peter jumping and yelling in excitement. I think his exact words were, "Brilliant, it's a bloody Catastrophe!" He's British you know! Anyway, after we got back from that and ate lunch, we went back out to the other side of the Fjord *valley-type canyon thing* and had some science workshops. I didn't even leave the Zodiac, because I got to be one of 8 students that went back out to find and examine the site of the earlier landslide with Peter. We saw gulls and seals on the way, which was exciting, and the scenery was really pretty. All in all, it was a good day, and now, it's time to relax, eat dinner, and go to bed early! Thanks for reading, and Good-night!

Mary Ann Thornton

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Today has been a good day to laugh so far. Its only two o'clock and I have already laughed so hard I thought I might pee in my pants. Who was I laughing with, you might be asking? Well, let me take the time to introduce to you my best friends on this little ship known as The Explorer. First there is Eric (not pronounced "air-ic") he is only 13 years old but could easily be mistaken for a 16 year old. He wears jeans with the biggest hole in life on the back side and doesn't seem to mind at all. Next we have Carrie she (much like myself) is on her way to college once we get back home except she will be going to school in Connecticut. She always has something stupid to say that is guaranteed to make any of us laugh. And lastly there is Heather, 17, blonde and extremely loud and bubbly. You can literally hear her across the ship.her laugh is highly contagious. Put us all together and we can make any hike or lecture into a party. Hopefully this will not be the only time we have together.

So yesterday we went Pangnirtung, a small town in the arctic region of Canada. It was quite possibly one of the most fun days we have had on this little adventure we're on. We were able to partake in some festive/cultural dancing that was probably one of the most intense workouts I have had since running the mile in sophomore P.E. I had the extreme privilege of dancing with Justin Trudeau which couldn't have been more of an outrageous time. But literally, I almost keeled over half way through it because I was suffering from dance-cramps. After that, I was extremely lucky to have met the artist in the town named Ame. He drew my portrait with two hands, upside down before he drew anybody else. Ha! I love being first. Then he sold me one of his works of art for only 10 American dollars that was entitled "colorless". I felt as though it was one of the best days on this trip by far.

I miss my best friend, Skid. He is off with the rest of the super hikers on the extremely long and depressing (at least it would be for me) hike that started at like 7ish this morning and is going until 5:30 tonight. Makes me cry just thinking about it. I hope he eats dinner with us again tonight, but I think he probably needs a break. Two nights in a row with the four of us (and other guests) is probably a bit much.

I have successfully spent all my money except about 13 dollars. I was really hoping I would be bringing home some extra dollars for my parents.sorry Mom and Dad. But I think I was very wise with all of it. I got a lot of good stuff for both me and my family.

This trip is slowly coming to an end. I actually will miss it even though I have had a couple days when all I wanted was to jump overboard and get away from everything. Too bad when I get back I'm supposed to go to work the next day at the crack of dawn. So not happening.hopefully those at Santa Clara Paintball will understand.

The end for now.

Alex Sempel

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Today is the day. I wake up at 6:00 to get ready for breakfast and the hike. The group going on this long hike was making last minute preparations. Grabbing towels, extra pairs of socks, and trading food items for lunch. Finally, our leader calls us to the zodiacs. I find myself on the first zodiac to the drop-off point. We go really slow because these waters are uncharted. Speaking of which, the ship was supposed to anchor 3 miles away, but our captain was amazing enough to navigate the treacherous waters up to a mile away. When we neared shore, someone in our boat stuck a paddle out to figure out the depth of the water. Eventually we hit the ground and could go no further. We were still 20 to 30 feet away from shore and arctic waters were flowing at a depth of 2 feet all the way to shore. We were all told to wear our "wet" shoes (my tennis shoes) and wade to shore. I entered the water and my feet instantly went numb. Halfway to shore I could hear people behind me scream as their feet burned with pain. Difficult is just a state of mind. Finally I reach the shore and I can't feel my feet. I started running up the hill to get the blood flowing again. Once I reached the top, I looked back and helped Justin and others cheer the rest of the group on. We told them to move as fast as they could because the longer you stay, the colder you get. Once everyone was ashore, we started our hike up north. Our first stretch was across the mudflats where my feet froze again and again as we crossed rivers and streams mostly ankle deep. Quicksand littered the landscape as I tried to move as fast as I could so it wouldn't suck me in. After about 5 miles or so of this I reached the beginning of the rocky and sandy part. I happened to be in the fast group of hikers although I was expecting to be in the slow group. We changed footwear to our hiking boots at this point and continued on. Hiking in sand is very difficult. The energy you put in to travel 5 feet, you only travel 2 feet. Eventually, I reached a point where the group in front of us (our first group had a small division during the hike) were all gathering around a post. Phew, a rest stop. We're halfway there. As I move closer I see the post is a pile of rocks with a sign on it. The Arctic Circle was supposed to be marked by a sign. But it couldn't be. It was too close. I move nearer and people start cheering. It is the Arctic Circle. Turned out to be a 7.5 mile hike to this point. We all sat down on the other side of the circle and ate our lunch. After lunch, people went to take a dip in the river. I would've except for the fact that I forgot my swim shorts and I wanted to be fairly dry on the way back. I did, however, cross the Circle 27 times. Could have been a 28th but, my friend reached the circle and we started heading back. I went at a slower pace to enjoy the scenery more. We decided to sit on top of a large rock to absorb the environment around us. From that rock we saw an Arctic Hare. We both decided to stalk the bunny for awhile. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me (I was afraid if I fall in a river, It would get wet) so my friend took pictures for me. After it continuously ran away from us, we marched on towards the boat. On the way we made a detour to a lake of ice that was randomly near us. It was thin ice so we quickly left to wade through more arctic rivers. At around 4:00 we found a zodiac that would take us back to the ship. Thankfully a dry landing spot was found. When I returned to the ship, I washed my tennis shoes which were filled with sand and left it out to dry with my hiking boots. I took a nice long hot shower and went up to the lounge for hot chocolate. I just traveled 15 miles and reached the Arctic Circle. One of my goals for this trip. I apologize for the messy handwriting, but every bone and muscle in my body is aching right now.

Ankur Gupta San Jose, California

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Well, today has proved to be yet another Students on Ice adventure and challenge. We were offered a choice between two hikes today, a long hike, and a long long hike, soon to be deemed the suicidal hike. Of course being the hardcore person that I am, I choose the suicidal hike along with a handful of hardcore hikers, who are always first to the peak whenever
we go out.

Wake up call was at 6:00am, but I have to admit, I slept in until 6:20am before I lugged myself up to the mess hall to have the hearty breakfast that I would need for the hike. We began to disembark at around 7:15 and I was aboard the first zodiac along with Raina, Bobby, Diz, Justin, and a few others. We hadn't even started hiking and we faced with a challenge. The tide was so low that the zodiacs could not reach shore without damaging the motor. Geoff and a ship-hand tried to pull the zodiac in, but it kept getting stuck on the rocks. I don't know how far we were from the shore, but it was definitely more than 200 feet from shore. We plunged in with pants rolled up expecting a nice wade to shore. WRONG!! The water was bitter cold and upon contact you went numb. Anne-Katrine, who was in front of me was substantially taller, so I would follow her into parts that were only up to her knees, but up to my waist. I was in so much pain, that I was yelping all the way to shore. I thought I would lose toes and I began to kick myself for choosing this hike.

The pain of the water was forgotten as soon as our whole group reached land and proceeded with the hike. Our first stop would be the shelter that stood at the beginning of the mud flats where we would dump our unneeded equipment, although the park ranger who came to brief us the night before advised against using the shelters for that purpose. Raina and I began to cross the mudflats with the lead group and we were surprised at our fast pace and our ability to keep up with the people who we deemed as the "fast ones." After about two hours of mudflats and rocky terrain, we reached and crossed the Arctic Circle. Hooray! Our stay was short lived because it began to rain and get chilly. We ate lunch, which consisted of curried
chicken, sandwiches, fruit, and an egg; took some pictures, and headed back to the ship.

The true fun started on our way back to ship. Instead of climbing up the rocks and cliffs, we decided that we would follow the bank parallel to the river. As everyone was struggling up the cliffs, we were enjoying a nice stroll on the beach. Well, the reason that the trail went up the cliffs was because the bank would eventually end at a spot where the river raged the most. We had to crawl up sand banks and steep, slippery rocks, trying to avoid a watery death. After that ordeal we came into a clearing and we soon found a set of hills in front of us. The river was quite calm at this point and there was a nice marshy area to walk through, so we again chose to avoid the strenuous hike up. Halfway through the boggy area, the sand begins to give way under our feet. Raina sinks ankle deep and we laugh. Then I sink in knee deep and we laugh some more. Then Raina begins to sink deeper and her whole left leg is soon under the sinking sand. David, a leader, was just above us on the cliff taking a rest, so we call for help, but he doesn't acknowledge our trouble. Already in waist deep, I waddle over to Raina who is sinking faster than a bullet and the first thing she wants me to save is her camera! Refusing to obey her orders, I began to drag her out as we sink more and more and we finally get to ground hard enough to use as a platform.

Our lives flashed in front of our eyes, but now it is only something to laugh about. The rest of the hike back was pretty uneventful. e spent another two hours maneuvering around the mudflats before we met some others who didn't have a radio to call for a zodiac. We were grateful or our warm showers and resting time as we saw the group who chose the long hike leaving for the second half of their hike. I felt I should share this unique experience. I would also like to extend a thanks to EMS for equipping me with everything to get through the mudflats and across the Arctic Circle.

Ingrid
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Aug. 1-Well today I (Jessica) broke my nose and it's a long story -- so here we go.

We went to Pangnirtung by Zodiac and were immediately sent to the community center. There we enjoyed a variety of activities, and learned a lot about Inuit culture. We started out with a stomp dance which was enormously fun. I was dancing with someone and then he decided to dance with my roommate's partner. Well since my roommate and I had no one to dance with we decided to dance together. She bent down and then I bent down; however I didn't get up fast enough when she bent down, so she came and slammed up into my nose.
It started to bleed (I have never had a nose bleed) so I ran to the washroom and everyone followed. It only bled for a minute, and it didn't get anywhere -- only on my hand and I didn't cry. After that was over it still hurt a lot. I went back outside even though everyone refused to leave. We enjoyed a lot of dancing and it was a lot of fun, even though it hurt. They
did some traditional dances, which we followed and some sports. The object of the game was to jump and try to hit a piece of rolled fabric hanging from the ceiling. The locals did the two legged jump, one legged jump and the sitting jump. We had 2 people on our boat who were gold medal winners in these events and they were great. Some people decided to join such as
Justin and others. It was great fun and afterwards several Inuit performed some throat song for us. Justin tried this too!!! Then, we stopped at a souvenir/art store, where I (Rebecca) bought a gorgeous soapstone seal statue. We both went next door, where we watched an artist creating prints. We walked across the street to the museum, and after that we went to the
store so that Jessica could buy food for the hike. We went back to the ship via the zodiacs and went straight to dinner. After dinner, a birthday cake was presented to Bruce, who was celebrating his 44th birthday. Monkeys attacked me today! We had a lecture about the national parks in Nunavut by park officers. We went to bed and that was our exciting day.

Aug 2nd-Well, today I woke up and my nose swelling went down -- so it was good!!!! My nose isn't too bad, it's not bruised, just slightly swollen and tilted a bit. Since Rebecca chose to not go on the long hike (which was going to be 10 hours), and I had to cancel (because of my nose), the first group which was only 45 people had to wake up at 6:00am. We just ignored the announcement and all the rest of us (75 people) woke up at 7:00am. We ate breakfast, boarded the Zodiacs, and landed. Jessica and I (Rebecca, sorry about the constant switching of authors) were at the front of the hike, in the fast group along with Geoff. We traveled across rocks, beaches, and a huge river. At first I (Rebecca) was terrified about crossing the enormous river, but once I grabbed Geoff's hand I knew I could do it. We climbed up a waterfall, and refilled our water bottles. We then made our way to the Zodiacs, and went back home:-)(the ship). The tide was coming in really fast when we left. We had lunch, and had some downtime. After, we took Zodiacs to a shore outside of the park, where we had our choice of workshops. I (Rebecca) went to Peter's workshop on rock formations, which involved cruising in Zodiacs in the fjord and looking at recent landslides. Jessica went to a meditation workshop. When I (Rebecca) returned, hardly anyone was onboard. So I toured the bridge. Anyhow, our anchor was stuck for a while, and right now we are navigating out of the shallow fjord we are in. Tonight, a new education team member is joining us, and we have story time. YAY!

Keep on reading for more of our up-to-date news coverage! Our next story - Monkeys attacked a group of young hikers today in Auyuittuq Park.

Jessica and Rebecca

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Today is the second of August, and we had a great hike! It was amazing to see the beautiful landscapes all around us. It was easy terrain to travel over and enjoyable to the eye. When we got to the emergency shelter, a few people had to lose some layers (including me). I had a lot of fun today.

It is now 6:04 p.m. and most of us are very exhausted. We saw a landslide. That was pretty cool! I really enjoyed jumping through the puddles and little rivers along where we were walking. I actually went up to my ankles in mud. A friend of mine even lost his shoes. I must admit it was very funny to see him trying to make it back to the zodiac landing site in his stocking feet.

I am having so much fun. We have had zodiac rides, we have been on nature excursions, visited wonderful Inuit villages and we have done lots of other fun things.

Margarett Parducci
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